I Dreamed I Was Link
by In Amber Clad
Summary: The mountains were cascading down into the hills. It's very rocks filtered down the alluvial fans and scattered across the lush, green grasses. A road had been trampled there by centuries of travelers. On the other side below the trail a forest began, standing on the earth like a wall. There in on that trail, two people stood. A woman clad in purple, and an elf clad in green.


**Author's Note:****A short while ago I woke up and remembered a dream. It was a full, complete, amazing dream. However, I didn't have enough time that morning to write it down before work, but I made sure to afterward. It's not often dreams have a story from beginning to end. I love it when this happens! Now, unlike most fan fictions out there, the main character is me, myself, not an OC. Technically.. my unconscious brain wrote this. . But still, hope anyone who reads this enjoys it as much as I enjoyed dreaming it. :)**

This is the whole thing in one fell swoop. :D

* * *

Last night I had a dream. Unlike most dreams, where it starts and begins in random places, this one had a beginning, a middle, and an end. It had romance, chivalry, and beautiful settings.

The dream began between a mountain and a forest, on the foothills covered in tall green grass and patches of snow. There was a road trailing between them, beaten down by centuries of travelers. And there, in the cool breeze, two people stood. One was myself, and the other was a woman, tall and beautiful with long, wavy hair. I want to say it was my friend Kisa, because she's the only one who fits this description, but honestly I can't say for sure. But for the sake of telling the story, I will just say this woman was indeed Kisa.

Now, before I can continue, I must tell you of the predicament we were in when we appeared in this place. Kisa and I were friends and we both knew who the other was. But in this dream, in this place, we were both wearing something other than modern day clothes. Kisa wore a medieval dress, made of light purple brocade and a short cape and hood. I, however… was dressed like a boy. And not just any boy.

I was wearing my Link cosplay, green tunic, long ears and all. However, everything was more real. The faux swede tunic was real swede. The spats I had made were actual leather boots. Most interesting of all, my sword and shield were heavy and fully cast in cold hard steal. The only thing that remained the same was myself, a small skinny girl wearing this totally legit costume. My breasts were compressed beneath a jean shirt I had made, making my overall appearance to be that of a boy. Anyone who passed us by would certainly mistake me for a pretty youth, perhaps a protector of the woman I was travelling with.

Which leads me to the next predicament. The long ears that was part of my costume.. wouldn't come off. They were still fake, oh yes, but they refused to budge. Those same people who would pass us by would certainly take note of them. And take note of them they did.

The first group of travelers soon came into view above the next foothill. Seeing their approach, quickly Kisa and I devised plan. We knew we were not in a modern age, and so women would not hold the same rights as men anymore. However, with luck, chivalry existed here. We decided it was best that I play the part of a man, since I already dressed convincingly as one. Kisa was a beautiful woman, and it was not safe for women to travel alone. Having a sword and shield, I would be her guardian. Upon deciding that point, we realized that if someone spoke with me, my voice would give away my gender at once and jeopardize us both.

"Why don't you do what Link does? Just don't talk. Let me do all the talking," Kisa said. Easy enough; after cosplaying Link before, I had already practiced "not talking". It was a very calming experience, but frustrating when you wanted to join a conversation, especially when it was a subject of particular interest. To explain why I wouldn't speak, Kisa would tell them I had taken a vow of silence.

The small group of travelers, I want to say, were just a bunch of farmers or merchantmen. When they approached, they were very friendly. They noted upon Kisa's beauty and despaired jokingly how we were not travelling their way. Then they took note of me, silent by her side. First they remarked my strange green garments, and then they saw my ears. They exclaimed, "An elf! An elf, in all my years!" Apparently there were no such things as Hylians in this world, which was the race Link was supposed to be. After an exchange of excited hellos, there was a goodbye and we went our separate ways.

In the dream, sometimes there are no explanations for why you do things, or sometimes things make sense but later make none when you wake up. I can't say why we didn't decide to turn around and travel with the kind people we had just met. Perhaps we thought it was a good idea to just keep going the way we were pointed when we appeared on that road.

The next group we came upon was not so friendly. It was a small group again, but they were up to no good. I was forced to take on my role as a protector and fend them off. This proved good practice for me. In the dream I remembered all my skills I had learned from over five years of martial arts training. I knew how to dodge and knock them on their feet. When I couldn't dodge, I had a shield to protect me, a defensive weapon they all lacked. When we had a chance, we ran for it, leaving them behind, battered and bruised but not defeated. We never saw them again.

Many miles down the road and many days passed us by. We visited little houses and little villages along the way. Most places greeted us with warm welcomes, and my presence as an "elf" sparked excited rumors that spread farther than we could travel in a day.

The next place we visited was a kingdom. From what I could remember, it was a mix between Rohan and Gondor. It had the rich, wooden architecture of the grand halls of the Rohirrim, but the forests and rolling, snowy hills of Gondor. The buildings were richly carved with birds and vines and scenes of historic legends. Beautiful furs covered the soft wooden floors next to hearths of brick and stone. The people dressed warmly and their welcome was perhaps even warmer than the smaller villages from before. Our arrival was far from unannounced. This time, the rumors had granted us the welcome party of royals and knights.

"Are these those we have heard of, travelling from afar? A beautiful maiden? And an Elf, no less, for a guardian?" asked a handsome man at the front, seated on a white steed. This man was none other than the prince of that kingdom, we would later learn. A good man with an equally good heart.

"Yes, we are they," replied Kisa. She did a curtsey, and I did my tae kwon do bow.

The prince dismounted and walked forward. I had gotten used to being her protector by this time, so I reacted without thinking and went for my sword as a warning. The prince stopped, and reassured me, "The lady is safe here. I personally welcome you both as guests. No one will harm either of you." Satisfied, I removed my hand from my sword's hilt. The prince relaxed as well. He invited us to stay in his home. I would say castle, but it was not made of stone, but wood. It was more like a small, two level mansion than a fortress. Again, the architecture here was like that of Rohan, with darker wood.

And so we stayed there. Time passed. Months went by. We found a place there with the warm people in the cold winter. The children took a liking to me, fascinated by my ears. The prince.. took a liking to Kisa. And Kisa took a liking to him. The dream was clear on this part. They were in love. I also remember that since Kisa's father was absent from this dream, and I was her only… "male" guardian, the Prince came to me to ask permission to court her. As I said before, the prince was a good man, naturally likeable and wise beyond his years. I knew he would be good to her so I approved, nodding and then giving him the medieval hand shake, where you grab each other's forearms. He left happily and of course, went straight to Kisa's side.

At that moment we had shaken hands, I realized just how small I was. I had gotten used to playing a man. I took pride in my fighting skills and intelligence that surpassed even the Prince in terms of mathematics and other high level education. However, I was still a girl underneath those green garments. I was five foot five with a very lean build. At night, I would wash myself in my private quarters. It would remind me every time of the secret we were both keeping. Sometime, late at night, we would risk talking. We would risk this for my sake. So long without speaking was difficult on me. Soon, it was known that only Kisa could interpret what I was trying to tell others, since I had taken my vow of silence. I would nod in agreement. What they didn't know was, I often just told her straight out in those secret night conversations. Kisa would usually talk about the prince, and I would usually talk everything I could never talk about, which was everything.

Although people were curious about an Elf in their midst, something that only existed in their folktales before, their curiosity could not be satiated since I couldn't talk. My answers were reduced to yes or no, or I refused to move my head at all. After so long in one place, I was worried they would figure out my secret until I overheard some men talking. "If Elven boys look that handsome, I can only imagine what their women look like," said one, breaking out into laughter with the others.

We enjoyed our time in this kingdom, until it broke out into war. A neighboring king decided to start it, and their little mountain kingdom had no choice but to fight back. I remember everyone preparing. The women prepared food, packed the horses, and fortified their homes. The men shined their armor and sharpened their swords and said farewells to their families. It was calm, and quiet. It was if people were afraid if they cried then they doomed their loved ones to sorrow as well. I stood their in full Link garb. I had switched to wearing the clothing they had given me in their hospitality, but now was a time for battle. I wore my chain mail, my gauntlets and weapons on my back. Kisa protested at first, but relented. I had my role to play. It was too late to back out now.

We went to those battlefields. I stood by the Prince, becoming his guardian as I had been for Kisa. His knights were with him too, but they protected their next king. I protected the man my friend loved. We engaged battle after battle. We were usually the ones planning the fights. I would illustrate my ideas in the absence of my interpreter. I introduced them to the Pincer movement, battle plans from World War II, and strategies of guerilla warfare. For all they knew, they figured that this was how Elves fought. And they finally did see how I fought when we engaged in battles on foot.

I was quick. I wasn't weighed down by full suited armor like the other men. I could roll and dodge and I didn't tire as fast either. I was a small girl, so I made a small target. My green tunic matched the lush green grass that sprung up when the snow melted, like camouflage. Rumors spread how an Elf fought with the men of the north; Link, the guardian of beautiful maidens and mighty Princes.

The war came to an end in the summer. We returned to the mountain side kingdom with its carved wooden buildings. During the celebrations, the prince proposed Kisa. She accepted with great happiness and they were wed soon after. The wedding ceremony was brief but the festivities that followed lasted for a week. I remember the grand hall decorated with white flowers and banquet tables filled with enormous amounts of rotisseries and other foods. Kisa was adorned with a delicate crown, as she was now a princess, and wore the most gorgeous white dress. It flowed over her curves like a waterfall, sparkling with beads hand sewed to match the floral patterns. The Prince may have been the lead in the war, but she was the star of the celebrations.

The kingdom entered into a time of peace. Kisa was married, and it's not presumptuous any longer to say that she was quite settled down. I called one final secret meeting with her to discuss our future. I expressed my desire to join her in these peaceful times and find my own happiness. Her marriage to a prince no longer required a need for a guardian. There was no longer a need for me to be Link to protect myself. The next morning, Kisa held a gathering to announce my decision. I stood by her side for the last time as she said this. It was time for me to leave and return to my own kind.

The people there were saddened by this, but were quick to give me a proper send off. A banquet was held in my honor, and gifts were presented as tokens of good faith between our people and as a thank you for serving with them during the war. I took the gifts of course, but I felt bad because they didn't know that I would be returning as my real self and couldn't keep these gifts or even extend the good faith to the Elves that didn't really exist. The next morning I left on horseback. The children were crying and ran after me as urged the horse to trot away. The people there waved. I waved, but I knew I would be back.

I travelled for six months. It may seem like a long time, but again, this was a dream. I traveled to explore, to learn, and to find the perfect place. I found this place on that sixth month. It was a little woodland with big rocks. I buried everything there. My green tunic and hat, my chain mail, my sword and shield. I buried the gifts that were given too. I took off that wig for the last time, which lasted longer than I had hoped. My hair fell down over my small body and I changed into a dress for the first time in what seemed like forever. One thing I almost forgot.. my ears. I was able to finally remove them, I don't know how. They were buried along with everything else. I rode my horse to a town I had never been to before and exchanged my horse for another. Then I began the long road back.

When I came over that last hill, seeing the wooden fortress walls of the kingdom we had grown to love, I also saw Kisa. Word had reached her of a girl with long red hair who dared to travel alone. She welcomed me into the biggest hug a friend could ask for. She made me her handmaiden at once and took me in. She explained to the others that I was from the same village she had grown up in, and that she had thought me dead during the war.

I did get my happy ending though. Throughout my time in that kingdom, my eye had caught the sight of a handsome knight in the Princes' service. When I returned as myself, a young beautiful maiden, I caught his eye too.

* * *

**Author's Note: Thank you for reading!**


End file.
